REACH OUT AND TEACH SOMEONE TITUS 2:3-5
Introduction: The Apostle Paul in the second chapter of Titus instructs Titus as the pastor of the church in Crete how to make the church beautiful. He deals with each gender and age group in the church. He begins with the senior members of the church and their responsibility to transfer the legacy of faith to the next generation and then with the younger believers and their responsibilities. we must take it upon ourselves to instruct the young people in our lives--one person at a time.
He begins with challenging men to step it up spiritually through redemptive relationships. And likewise he speaks to the women who need to reach out and teach someone. Our focus this Mother’s day is one the instructions given to both the older and younger Christian women in the church.
I. Senior Christian Women are to set the Example
A. Christian women are to live in a way that honors God in everything.
B. (Note: “older” or “aged” - is not a reference to elderliness but to seniority)
C. Titus 2:3 “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things” (NASB) – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good.”
D. They are to be reverent in behavior –
1. “Behavior” points to their demeanor or inner character.
a. (katasteima) - "a state, a condition, a manner of life".
b. This is the only place this word is used in the New Testament. However, In observing the usage of the word in the writings of Josephus, Plutarch, and a few other Grecian sources, it is seen that the word "behavior" referred to a person’s condition or state.
c. In modern American, the word "behavior" refers to conduct or manners. But in the older English of 1611, as in the Greek, "behavior" referred much more to a life condition, to a person’s inner characteristics, which would, in turn, lead to an outward behavior. – Doud
d. Behavior that is “suitable for the temple” (holiness": (hieroprepeis), from (hiero), "temple" + (prepeis)) or “suitable for worship”
2. “Reverent” literally means “suitable to a sacred person,” or a priestess in a temple.
a. When this word was used to describe a person, it meant "worthy of reverence or respect".
b. It was used in literature outside the Bible to describe the conduct of a priest in the Greek temple.
c. When this word was used to describe a person, it meant "worthy of reverence or respect". The older woman is to have a reputation or manner of life that is worthy of respect as a mature woman of God.
3. An often-told but unverified story from the life of Alexander the Great tells of a time a soldier in his army was brought before him for continual fighting with his fellow soldiers. The great general asked the soldier his name. The soldier replied, "Alexander." The general glared at the soldier with whom he shared the same name and responded, "Either change your behavior or change your name." In the same way, bearing the name of Christ calls us to uphold and accept God’s high standards. – Source: Life & Work Ventures, LifeWay Christian Resources, Winter 1998–99.
E. They are to control their speech
1. Titus 2:3 “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things” (NASB) – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good.”
2. “Slanderers” or “Malicious Gossips” is a single word in Greek that is used 34 times in the Bible of the devil! The Greek word here is the plural feminine of diabolos. The verb form means "to throw through; to throw over; to defame; to inform against; to bring charges with hostile intent." It is where we get the English word - diabolical.
3. It literally means to throw things at people. A godly woman will not repeat damaging stories about others. She will not spread rumors or half-truths that damage someone’s reputation or sows discord
4. Proverbs 6: 16-19 “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
5. Not given to much wine – The literal translation of the Greek, “quarrelsome when in his cups” suggests that Paul is stating that women are not to talk and act like those who linger over alcohol. There is a connection between a loose or unbridled tongue and intoxicating drink.
6. In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?" "Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test." "Triple filter?" "That’s right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..." "All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?" "No, on the contrary..." "So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?" "No, not really." "Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?" – Quoted from CyberSalt.org email list
II. Senior Christian Women are to Teach Intentionally
A. Titus 2:3-4 “…teachers of good things — that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children”
B. There is to be interaction, not complete separation, between the various ages in the church and family
C. They are to teach what is good. The word “good” is often translated “beautiful” or “attractive.” This is taught by both precept and practice.
D. The first Protestant missionary to Japan was so effective that the emperor declared that, if what the missionary said could be proved true, he would make Christianity the state religion. The emperor sent five of his leading men on a tour of Europe and America. When their trip was nearly ended, the saintly Bishop Moule asked them, "Tell me, gentlemen, what report will you take back to your emperor?" They replied, "We will tell him much -- that the Book is all right, but that it does not work." – William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations.
E. “So that they may admonish… to be sober” or that they may “encourage” the young women – “to teach to be mentally stable; to bring someone to his senses”
III. Set a Standard
A. Titus 2:4-5 “…love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands…”
B. Paul listed seven responsibilities that ought to be seen in Christian women.
1. Love their husbands
a. The phrase "love their husbands" is only one word in the Greek. It is the compound word philandros, derived from phileo (a warm affection) and andros (man).
b. Love is not automatic. It takes deliberate effort.
c. Wives need to accept their husbands as they are, namely, as imperfect sinners like themselves. This acceptance should not depend on the husband’s performance but on his worth as a good gift God has given to the wife. - Dr. Thomas L. Constable
2. Love their children
a. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition (discipline) of the Lord.
b. Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
c. Proverbs 29:15 “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”
3. To be discreet - sensible (Gr. sophronas; Sozo – Saved + Phren – Mind; self-controlled).
a. Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.”
b. This means having a sense of what is appropriate for them as Christians and avoiding extremes.
4. To be chaste - pure (Gr.hagnas) modest, blameless, immaculate
a. 1 Peter 3:1-7 (NASB) – “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.”
b. The child of God to be as diligent in keeping himself or herself "pure" as the ermine who lives in the forests of northern Europe. This little animal is highly prized for his snow-white fur in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it. Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don’t set a snare to catch him but instead they find his home usually in a cleft of a rock or in a hollow tree. They smear the entrance with grime. Then the hunters set the dogs loose to chase the ermine. The frightened animal naturally flees toward home but refuses to enter because of the grease on the entry. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life. - Copied
5. To be homemakers - (Gr. Oikourgous) producers of orderliness in the home
a. Proverbs 31:27 “She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
b. “Caring for the home” and the wise husband allows his wife to manage the affairs of the household, for this is her ministry.
6. To be good – good-natured, kindhearted
a. Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind (agathos) to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
b. "Kindness is a language that deaf people can hear and that blind people can see."
7. To be obedient to their own husbands - as to God’s ordained authority in their family; Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1).
a. Obedient – Hupotasso - is a word that talks about two people who are absolutely equal in God’s eyes. It meant a "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden". The wife makes a choice to place herself as an equal underneath another equal, her husband, in order that there can be order and function in the family with the purpose of meeting the design that God has ordered.
IV. Christian Women are to Convey an Image and a Message
A. Titus 2:5 “…that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
B. If godly women follow the truths of Titus 2:3-5, their behavior would keep the Word of God from being dishonored by those who would otherwise observe inconsistency between the teaching of Scripture and the lives of professing believers.
C. No one will be able to criticize the church as believers become good advertisements for the Gospel.
D. The 19th-century German philosopher Heinrich Heine said, “Show me your redeemed life and I might be (emphasis on "might") inclined to believe in your Redeemer.”
E. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
